Something completely differently stroked

Before the flood

Well, I've finally gotten around to playing with the Vintage Les Paul I bought, and I think it is going to be fun. Not a Jooky thing really, as I'm planning to keep this a bit more trad than that, but still an exercise in pimp-ology, which should prove interesting.

Unless I completely mess it up, in which case it might go in a different direction.

In case you don't remember, what I'm planning to do is remove the sheeny shiny glossy lacquer to give it a more matte, silky finish, kind of like the recent Gibson 'Slash' models.

This is going to take a while using an electric sander with a sort of foam surface - like those green pan scrubbers you get - but will hopefully look loveable afterwards.

Once that is out of the way, I'm going to treat it to some Kluson or Gotoh tuners and nice nickel hardware, which I think look a tad classier than the original gold against the orange bursty colour.

Wiring-wise, I'm thinking the full Jimmy Page jobbie, as I've never tried to do that before and it has a plentitude of options, which will be cool.

Pickups, as ever it will be what I can, err, pickup. I had planned to use some Bare Knuckle 'Peter Green' PGs, but I think I'd like something a bit squealier, but time will tell.

We'll have to see what turns up instead.

Saying that, I've also been meaning to try the IronGear Blues Engine pickups, which I'm told sound as close to an original PAF as anything - despite being dead cheap.

We'll see though...be a while before I have to think about it, I expect.

Taking the gloss off of stuff

I'm not a big Slash fan - I mean, he's good and I liked the early G 'n'R stuff, but I haven't really kept track since then, not that I dislike him, just don't listen. If that makes sense.

Anyway, the other day I was looking at the latest reproduction of the copy of a Les Paul he played back in the day...
Well, you know the score.
And I thought that I liked the look of it.

What I liked about it though was that it has a dull finish - satin or matte, I don't know what you'd call it - rather than all glossy and shiny.

No big deal, and I am not ever likely to spend a couple of grand on a guitar, or even a few hundred much more fun to make them, but one for the lottery-list, if nowt else.

Imagine-my-surprise, as they say in all the best places, when I came across this thread on a web site, where a fella was turning a gloss Les Paul into a nice matte or satin one. With easy to use implements...

The one on the left is the before which as you can see is very nice, yet really glossy and shiny.


The one to my right is the after, which is uber cool in excelsis...

Anyway, just thought I'd mention it, and do go read the link as he did a wicked description/explanation...

Now, if I only had a cherryburst Les Paul

Hmmm...